IPL 2026| RCB-SRH clash to kick off season on March 28 in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here to kick off the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League on March 28.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), however, announced the schedule only for the first phase, which will be held until April 12, keeping in mind the assembly elections in five states that have either IPL franchises or will be hosting matches.  

"As three states are scheduled to undergo state assembly elections during this period, the full schedule of the tournament will be announced once the poll dates are announced," said a statement from the BCCI.

West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam , Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are the three states that will go for polls. While Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings are based out of Bengal and TN capitals respectively, Guwahati will be hosting some of Rajasthan Royals' games.

In fact, Royals begin their campaign in Guwahati which will host Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.

RCB will play four matches in the first phase, with the first two to be played at home. The marquee clash between the red and gold brigade and the Chennai Super Kings will be played at the Chinnaswamy on April 5. 

The Rajat Patidar-led side will then travel to Jaipur for their third match against Rajasthan Royals on April 10 before facing hosts Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede on April 12.

The BCCI also confirmed that RCB would play five of their home matches in Bengaluru and the remaining two in Raipur.

The Bengaluru matches, however, are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka, the release stated.

"The committee will conduct a meeting and inspection of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 13 during which a full-scale mock demonstration of match-day arrangements will be carried out to assess the stadium’s preparedness for hosting IPL matches."

Karnataka State Cricket Association, meanwhile, claimed that the work towards safety measures they have undertaken was on the right track.

"Yes, I can confirm there will be a mock demonsatation of match-day arrangements on March 13, and we are confident the all the arrangements will be in place for the committee to inspect," said KSCA spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya.  

Punjab Kings are scheduled to play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala.

A total of 20 matches will be played in the first phase across 10 venues — Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

The first phase schedule will also feature four double-headers with the first match on these days commencing at 3.30 PM. The first double-header will be played on April 4 with Delhi Capitals locking horns with Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi in the opening match of the day, followed by Gujarat Titans taking on Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

RCB schedule - I phase Mar 28: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Apr 05: vs Chennai Super Kings Apr 10: vs Rajasthan Royals Apr 12: vs Mumbai Indians All matches start @ 7.30 pm The first two matches are at home